Give me liberty or give me death
No truer words have ever been said
Well, are you prepared for your very last breath?
Don't you dare start which you cannot finish
So when we face, face the adversary
No longer are we the minorityAnd when history repeats her hour
The pendulum will swing, swing into power
Though not in vain like our forefathers
Freedom, I never had no room for cowards
For in the end, there will be equality
By any means na-na na-na necessaryThe ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same handWhat's it gonna take to liberate?
An emancipation, a false proclamation?
All these token words that you legislate
Sound a little bit absurd
Hey and a little too late
When a house is divided, it just will not stand
Once it's decided, a line drawn in the sandAhh, the ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna do
The sword or the pen
Can be held by the same handThe ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna doThe ballot or the bullet
The choice is up to you
The ballot or the bullet
Tell me what you gonna doThe sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
The sword or the pen can be
Held, held by the same hand
Songwriters
VAN HALEN, EDWARD/VAN HALEN, ALEX/ANTHONY, MICHAEL/CHERONE, GARY FRANCISPublished by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group